Is All Really Fair in Love?
by steph84
Summary: Hermione and Ron are happily married with four wonderful children. So what will happen when Hermione has to deal with the death of a loved one?


It was another summer day that made Hermione think of flowers in full bloom and fluffy, white clouds parading across the sky. She glanced out her kitchen window at the dawning world, eager to enjoy these few moments of peace and quiet before her household woke up to greet the day.  
  
Hermione had married Ron Weasley three years after they graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a predictable move, and one that made all their friends, especially Harry Potter, grin with relief. Their seven years at Hogwarts had proved to be tedious at times, but the three of them had pulled through as friends, with Ron and Hermione realizing they had more.  
  
Much like Ron's family, Hermione planned on having numerous children. Already she had borne three wonderful daughters and an active son. Hillary, Stacey and Miranda were born each a year apart, their brother Marcus following not far behind. Hermione was grateful to have children so close in age, so that they would be able to share each other's ups and downs like true friends.  
  
Hillary, being the eldest, often took on a role of responsibility over her younger siblings. Already, at the age of fourteen, she was beginning to look more and more like her mother everyday, with soft eyes and a good heart to soak up all the love in the household. She was tall, like Ron, but nowhere near as gangly as he had been in the first few years Hermione had known him. Hillary arrived not even a year after Ron and Hermione had gotten married.  
  
Stacey followed in line and at the tender age of thirteen, was discovering that her mother's looks that she shared could stop the boys in the streets. She used them to her full advantage, but Hermione and Ron made sure that she behaved herself the way any member of the Weasley family should.  
  
Miranda was the quietest of the group, with long red hair and a charming smile. Although only twelve, she was found to be quite intelligent for her age, which caused great amounts of teasing at school. Hermione tried her hardest to protect her young daughter, but it wasn't easy as Miranda held Ron's independence and pride and didn't take kindly to having someone shield her from the world.  
  
Marcus was the most adventurous ten-year old boy that could be found this side of London. He had a wild imagination and would spend hours lying on the grass out front of their home, staring up into the clouds, seeing things in the sky that no one else could see. Hermione insisted that Marcus looked more like Ron, but her friends told her otherwise. It was certain that Marcus had Ron's nose and eyes, but she assumed he got his height and frame from her.  
  
She heard the kitchen door open behind her and eagerly accepted Ron's loving embrace as he stood behind her and helped her weave a wonderful web that could only lay outside in the summer sunshine. "What are your plans today?" he asked as he sat down after pouring himself a cup of coffee. Although their children attended Hogwarts during the school year, Hermione encouraged them, as well as her husband, to use as little magic as possible. She wanted a semi-normal life, although she was proud of her magical heritage.  
  
"A little bit of this and a little bit of that," she replied, sitting down across from him. Ron worked at the Ministry of Magic as an officer of Magical Enforcement and Hermione often worried about him. Many of the events he got called to while at work tended to get quite rough and she dreaded the owl that may bring bad news her way.  
  
Ron nodded and raised his eyes to the roof of their three-story house, one much like Ron's old home, the Burrow. Above them, the noises of children's footsteps and dresser drawers pounding shut had begun to stir, making Hermione jump into action mode. With four children and a husband to feed and get ready for the day, she had no time to dawdle and daydream.  
  
With her four children fed and her husband off to work, Hermione settled down to face the aspects of her day. No matter how much she preached all magic be kept to a minimum, she had to indulge herself while cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Once her family had eaten, she found they scattered quickly, as if blown away by a breeze, leaving her to clean up the mess. Taking out her wand and muttering a few well-chosen words, she watched as the dishes washed and tucked themselves away neatly in their organized cupboards. She smiled and wiped her hands on her apron; a job well done.  
  
The three girls had wanted to go out back to the empty field that they often used for family games of Quidditch and play for a while. After much protesting, Hermione relented, only on the condition that they take their brother with them. Pouting, but content, the girls marched their younger brother through the kitchen and out the back door to the field. "Don't bother us!" Miranda could be heard demanding as the door slammed.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself and settled down to write a letter to Harry, her and Ron's oldest and dearest friend. Harry chose a different path in life and followed through with his dream to be an Auror. His job took him many places, all across the world, leaving his wife Jillian Potter, home alone. Harry had met Jillian two years after graduating from Hogwarts and it had been an instant love affair. After only a year of dating, the two of them up and got married, causing Ron and Hermione to have serious doubts about the spontaneous marriage.  
  
However, here it was, several years later, and fate found Harry and Jillian still happily married, although without children. "It wouldn't be fair to have children with Harry not home a lot of the time," Jillian had once told Hermione and there was no arguing the fact. As of late, Hermione received news that Harry was somewhere in Australia, fighting off evil, dark wizards over there. She began her letter with the same greeting as always: "Hello our dearest friend in the world".  
  
She told Harry all about her daily activities and that the children would be returning to Hogwarts in the fall. "You should visit one day and we'll take you there," she wrote happily, fully knowing that the day would never come when Harry could find enough time off of work to join the Weasleys at Hogwarts. Hermione knew that Harry missed school as much as the next student but he couldn't bring himself to return.  
  
After she signed off from her letter to Harry, she scribbled a quick hello note to Jillian, telling her pretty much the same as she had told Harry, also including that any time she felt lonely, she could pop in for a visit. "You're always welcome here."  
  
Writing her letters made Hermione emotionally exhausted. She hated dragging up bad memories from the past, but often she couldn't help but mention a thing here or there, no matter how painful the memory may seem. She recalled several times when Harry was almost defeated by the Dark Lord, but managed to pull through in the end. The scariest time was at the end of their seventh year. Harry hovered on the edge of death for almost three days, three very frightening days, before he finally pulled through to prove that he really was immortal, at least in the minds of his friends.  
  
Hermione wiped a lone tear away from her cheek and continued to tidy up the house. Summer days were wonderful, for she had her children home with her, but she couldn't help but feel that something was lacking in her ability to be completely happy. She had four loving children and a doting husband whom she loved dearly; what more could she ask for?  
  
A job. The thought rang out in the back of her mind, but she silently pushed it aside. How could she work when there were four children to feed, clothe and look after? Maybe when the school semester started, yes, maybe then would be a good time to check into getting a job. 


End file.
